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These are the latest addition to my "fantasy" early medieval Byzantine army.
I’m describing this as fantasy because I haven’t made my usual effort to ensure historical accuracy. This is partly because the term “Byzantine” covers many centuries, and partly because a large proportion of the figures came from cheap bulk purchases at shows or job lots bought on eBay.
This is the second batch from the 52 riders I bought on eBay. As with the Georgians before them, they came without horses, so I mounted the riders on a mix of horses from my lead pile and others I picked up from Fighting15s and eBay.
They form another part of my “fantasy” Byzantine army. I call it fantasy because I am making no attempt to be historically representative. The only thing the units have in common is that they all began life as bargain buys at a show or on eBay.
One of my best wargaming "investments" was a collection of hardback reference books released by the Wargames Research Group (WRG) in the early 1980s: the famous "Armies & Enemies" series.
In the intervening decades they have been used again and again; not least because so many 15 mm figure manufacturers use them as sculpting guides. I'm glad I bought the hard back editions as they have stood the test of time with few signs of wear and tear.
The books' greatest strength is the sheer volume of illustrations. The books' greatest weakness is the sheer volume of illustrations. Thus a project was born.
The genesis of this batch of figures began with a slip of the keyboard. I spotted 52 Essex early medieval riders (no horses) on eBay. At just over £10.00 delivered I couldn't resist.
There were 12 Crusade era figures amongst the job lot of Byzantine figures. Specifically, a couple of Syrians (CRU39a) and ten Georgians (CRU28). Perfect for four units of heavy cavalry for my allied Ilkhanid Mongol army. I've painted these figures twice before: in 2000 and in 2011.
In a moment of madness I bought 52, 15 mm Essex riders from eBay. Just the riders, no horses. Thankfully, I had a few spare horses and was able to buy enough extra horses from various sources, all the while kidding myself that it wasn't really a new project.
Of the 52, I identified 12 as early medieval Syrian and Georgian heavy cavalry which I'll use as allied knights for my early 14th century Ilkhanid Mongol army. I have enough already, but a few more won't hurt. They were a bargain after all.
I plan to paint the dozen in batches of two or three, and the first two are underway. It was at this point that I realised I'd soon have to decide what flags to use.
It's been just over a month since I posted anything. I try to post at least once a month, however this last month has been difficult. Partly because things in the real world haven't gone well, and partly because it's been so blinking hot. These things have combined to sap my enthusiasm. Even so, I've not been completely idle.
In the midst of an unseasonal heatwave, I made the usual drive up the M6 to Manchester in the cool of the early morning. Shorts and t-shirts were the order of the day for many. At lunchtime I managed a rare photo of some wargamers enjoying the sunshine.
At the moment I'm only playing in competitions, so I have changed my approach to the Northern League. I've decided to be more adventurous, if not somewhat perverse, in my army choices.
Here're my latest command bases for my Mongol ADLG armies. They are digital designs from Ten Kingdoms, printed for me by Mick's Bits (eBay seller) using the super tough TGM-7 resin.
I have a large Mongol army. I've had it so long I've replaced almost all of it at least once. Nonetheless, I occasionally buy more, but there's method in my madness.
This post is about testing my new light box.
Prompted by other wargamers on social media, I bought the newly available 10" Puluz model for about £12.00 from eBay with free postage.
My old light box was held upright by weak magnetic pads. It wan't very stable. This one is very solid and is easy to set up and pack away.
The trip began (too) early on Saturday morning at 06:00. I'd decided to drive across the M62 to my first event of 2025. The venue was excellent, but finding it was not as straightforward as I'd hoped. Then again I wasn't the only one; others nearly missed the start.
After a strong cup of tea, I managed to get the drive out of my head and prepared to play.
To coin a phrase from the 1970s: "And now for something completely different". This is from Peter Pig's War of the Roses range. It's Pack 22: "Dead cart with a pile of dead bodies, horse, and a dead collector".
When I placed my last order with Essex I decided to buy a few extra figures to add some variety to the long slog of painting a 15 mm Hellenistic army. I ended up with commanders for three of my Art de la Guerre (ADLG) collections: Hellenistic, Arab Empire, & Ilkhanid Mongol.
The figure is based on a magnetised 40 mm plywood base which is the same size as my 15 mm ADLG command bases. My plan is to use them as CinCs during competitions. Afterwards they will be retired and placed in my display cabinet.
This is something of a first. Instead of reviewing the books I want to focus on the author. David Morgan died in 2019 but left behind a significant body of work.
I first came across his book on Medieval Persia by chance last year when I was looking for books on the Arab Conquests. Purchased second hand, the first edition was both a bargain and a delight. With a clear, concise and approachable style the book dealt with all the rulers of post Arab Conquest Persia with aplomb.
I haven't played De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA) for decades, but I do own a copy of the latest version. Who knows I may use it one day.
One of the things I found during my recent “sort out” was a pair of very old resin tents. They were hidden away in the toolbox containing my Italian Wars army.
They are old models and pre-date the wonderful Baueda range. The sculpting is basic. The castings are a bit rough too. Nonetheless, I fancied painting something different.
So I removed the old groundwork, sanded down the castings to get as smooth a finish as I could and set about turning a sow's ear into a silk purse (if that's possible). Here are the results:
This is a post showcasing the third, and final, infantry command base for my Tudor army at Bosworth. The base represents Sir Rhys ap Thomas of Dinefawr, his standard-bearer and livery captains using Donnington New Era figures.
I already have a set of three mounted, and two foot commanders based for Art de la Guerre (ADLG) but I felt the need(?) for one more commander on foot. Any excuse to re-use the flags I created.
Another, if somewhat small, batch of units for my Wars of the Roses army. This time some light infantry:
As with the recent batch of Welsh spear, I painted these because I finally decided to “trim” my War of the Roses army. It's now very much smaller and lots of figures have gone to a new home thanks to eBay and some long-standing contacts.
These are my first figures specifically based for Art de la Guerre (ADLG). Normally, I would base three figures on a 40 by 20 mm metal base and use two base to form an ADLG unit.
This time I put 6 on a 40 by 40 mm base because, post pandemic, all the metal bashing shops near me have closed, and I'm nearly out of 40 by 20 mm metal bases.
I painted these because I finally decided to “trim” my War of the Roses army. It's now very much smaller and lots of figures have gone to a new home thanks to eBay and some long-standing contacts.
As regular readers will have noticed, I am busy building an Arab Conquest army for Art de la Guerre (ADLG). However, not all of this project involves a paintbrush. I've also taken the opportunity to read a few books about the period. I knew next to nothing when I started.
So here are the four main history books that got me started; complete with brief, one paragraph type, reviews. Since this post was written, I've found a fifth book, and it is very different to the other four.
They are listed in my recommended reading order.
